Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said today that the Bush administration announced its plans to reorganize government agencies and create a new presidential cabinet-level "Department of Homeland Security," in large part, due to sharp criticism and questioning by both the media and members of Congress in response to FBI whistleblowers Coleen Rowley and Robert G. Wright, Jr.

Both Special Agents Rowley and Wright have detailed a pattern of obstruction and negligence on the part of senior FBI officials and FBI headquarters support staff in the investigations of terrorists, their organizations and supporting infrastructure – operating both in the United States and overseas. Yesterday, Agent Rowley, whose 13-page memo to FBI Director Mueller was leaked to the press, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Agent Wright, who has doggedly pursued and complied with the FBI's pre-publication review process in bringing forward his whistleblower disclosures appeared on CNN's Crossfire with Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

The proposed new Department of Homeland Security would be the largest reorganization of government agencies since 1947. It is the Bush administration's attempt to merge a broad array of diverse government offices and functions, totaling over 170,000 employees – into one coherent, manageable organization. Current Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who lacks any professional background or experience in counterterrorism or intelligence is slated for the new cabinet post. Debate over the Bush administration initiative has already shifted attention away from the past month's steady drumbeat of failures and mis-communications between the CIA, FBI and other intelligence and security agencies.

"This reorganization by the Bush administration is long overdue, but does not address the serious failures of the FBI and CIA," stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. "We need a new, separate, counterterrorism agency to take the terrorists head-on, not a game of musical chairs," Klayman added.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and legally prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said that today's Washington Post report, entitled, "Infighting Slows Hunt for Hidden Al Qaeda Assets," by Karen DeYoung and Douglas Farah, corroborates and reinforces the whistleblowing disclosures of Judicial Watch and David P. Schippers' (Judicial Watch National Advisor) client, FBI Special Agent Robert G. Wright, Jr.

Special Agent Wright, of the FBI's Chicago Division, is the only agent in the history of the FBI to have used the civil forfeiture laws to seize over $1.4 million dollars in Hamas terrorist money in connection with a criminal investigation of terrorist money laundering operations here in the United States.

Special Agent Wright "blew the whistle" on FBI negligence and obstruction by senior, supervisory FBI agents and FBI headquarters Terrorism Unit agents of counterterrorism investigations targeting figures belonging to and supporting terrorist operations by Hamas and al Qaeda. Despite his extraordinary success and superb performance evaluations, Agent Wright encountered stonewalling, negligence, indifference and outright opposition by his superiors and FBI HQ in pursuing terrorists operating within the United States.

"While the Justice Department, Treasury Department and CIA continue to squabble and lose precious investigative time, the terrorists continue financing the next phase of their attacks against us. Ten months after September 11th, where is the leadership from President Bush in making sure these agencies are operating together? Talk is politically convenient, but actions speak louder than words," stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, represents "whistleblowing" FBI Special Agent (SA) Robert G. Wright, Jr., of the bureau's Chicago Division, who said today that the FBI continues to dodge accountability and cover-up its negligence and dereliction of duty in pursuing terrorists who pose a direct threat to the United States. SA Wright is the only FBI agent to seize terrorist funds (over $1.4 million) from U.S.-based Middle Eastern terrorists using federal civil forfeiture statutes, prior to the September 11th attacks. The original source of the funds was Yassin Kadi, a Saudi businessman, who is reportedly a financier of Osama bin Laden.

SA Wright points to recent misconduct and falsifications of wiretap warrant applications by FBI agents (signed-off by the former FBI Director, Louis Freeh) to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court. Prior to September 11th, SA Wright alleged FBI intelligence agents lied and hid vital records from criminal agents for the purpose of obstructing his criminal investigation of the terrorists in order to protect their "subjects," and prolong their intelligence operations. SA Wright was stunned to learn recently that some of the FBI intelligence agents that had stalled and obstructed his criminal investigations of terrorists in Chicago had also lied to the judges of the FISA Court in Washington, D.C.

SA Wright says that, in his opinion, prior to September 11th, the ITU's incompetence and repeated failures to support criminal investigations contributed directly to the deaths of five Americans. The ITU's absolute failure to detect and identify the September 11th terrorist plot, and the radical Islamists that carried it out, is further evidence of the ITU's negligence, and places the deaths of thousands of Americans at their door.

Over the last year, SA Wright has repeatedly tried to lawfully expose the FBI's incompetence and dereliction: 1) through FBI and Justice Department channels, 2) through individual Congressmen and Senators, 3) to the Joint Congressional Intelligence Committee and, 4) at a press conference held by his legal counsel, Larry Klayman, the Chairman of Judicial Watch, Inc., and co-counsel, David Schippers, Esq., of Schippers and Bailey of Chicago, IL.

The FBI continues to illegally refuse the release of SA Wright's 500 page manuscript, Fatal Betrayals of the Intelligence Mission, that SA Wright submitted for prepublication review in October 2001. In fact, the FBI refused to turn the manuscript over to Sen. Richard C. Shelby, Vice Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Commitee, charged with investigating the FBI's intelligence failures. The FBI falsely claims that the manuscript contains grand jury material, although SA Wright has publicly available, "open source," references for all of the material in the manuscript. Schippers, a former federal prosecutor, has suggested that the committee petition U.S. District Court Chief Judge Charles P. Kocoras to disclose any such grand jury material under Criminal Rule 6(e)(3)(D), as matter involving intelligence and counterintelligence.

In anticipation of being subpoenaed by the Joint Intelligence Committee, SA Wright has prepared a statement detailing the FBI's negligence and dereliction of duty in pursuing the terrorist threat to the American public.

"SA Wright is performing a service for his country by exposing the FBI's dereliction of duty – particularly by FBI headquarters staffers. Director Mueller survived the 'bad press' of last May, and the nation's attention has moved on to something else – until the next terrorist attack. How many more dead Americans will it take to get accountability from the FBI?" stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said today that its client, FBI Special Agent Robert G. Wright, Jr., is facing retaliatory treatment from FBI management for telling the truth about dereliction of duty and negligence within the FBI and specifically, the bureau's International Terrorism Unit. The FBI informed Wright that he is now the subject of an Office of Professional Responsibility investigation. Wright is joined in his criticism of the FBI by his now retired former partner, John Vincent (who now heads Judicial Watch's Chicago office), and by former Assistant United States Attorney Mark Flessner, who worked with Wright on the same criminal cases in the Chicago area.

Special Agent Wright has repeatedly sought to lawfully expose the incompetence and corruption within the FBI that has led directly to the deaths of innocent Americans. Wright, following the FBI's own rules and procedures, made this information public through: 1) FBI and Justice Department channels, 2) individual Congressmen and Senators, 3) to the Joint Congressional Intelligence Committee and, 4) at press conferences and media interviews. Special Agent Wright seeks an independent investigation of the gravely serious matters he has sought to make public. Wright is also represented by David Schippers, Esq., of Schippers and Bailey of Chicago, IL.

"FBI management is seeking, in violation of its own rules, to fire Bob Wright for telling the truth about its counter-terrorism failures. Wright exposed FBI corruption and terrorist fundraising in America which the FBI ignores to this day. Rather than going after terrorists, the FBI is seeking to destroy one of its loyal special agents. We expect the American people, the courts and Congress will not look kindly upon the agency's retaliatory behavior," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, called "unconscionable" the FBI's efforts to retaliate against an agent who criticized the bureau for its handling of terrorism investigations. A memo written by a former FBI official and released today by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, says that the FBI tried to "take out" Judicial Watch client and FBI Special Agent Robert Wright for saying publicly that the bureau was derelict and negligent in combating terrorism.

Written by retired FBI agent John Roberts, who was a unit chief within the bureau's disciplinary office, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), the memo details how top FBI officials in the OPR intentionally withheld information from and deliberately deceived the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in an effort to retain administrative control over the Wright case so that the OPR could fire him – in violation of its own rules. The OIG is responsible for reviewing all proposed disciplinary actions of the FBI and ensuring that the bureau's rules are administered fairly. The memo was sent to Sens. Grassley and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., both of whom serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a letter sent today to Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, Grassley and Leahy expressed concerns about the FBI's "continued targeting" of Wright and about other problems that "show problems still fester at FBI OPR."

Wright, who works in the FBI's Chicago office, was the first agent to seize funds ($1.4 million) from U.S.-based terrorists prior to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and has been an outspoken critic of the bureau's terrorism managers and the manner in which they investigate terrorism. Wright has two separate lawsuits pending against the FBI and is represented in both cases by Judicial Watch and former U.S. House impeachment counsel David Schippers.

Roberts' memo also describes other efforts by the FBI to retaliate against employees who point out misconduct within the bureau, and he accuses the bureau of having a double standard for disciplining employees – one more lenient standard for senior officials and a harsher one for lower level employees, including agents. (Roberts also has faced retaliation from the FBI.)

"By deceiving the Justice Department and attempting to fire agent Wright without due process, the FBI has sunk to new lows in its attempt to quiet those who are merely trying to expose incompetence within the FBI and improve that organization. The FBI's actions are unconscionable and likely violated the law," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "If the FBI worked as hard at catching terrorists as it does at trying to ‘take out' internal agency dissenters, the United States might not be under the serious terrorism threat it is today."